48 



NA rURE 



[May 12, 



irregular movement in the flagellated chambers, is to be ex- 

 plained by taking into account (i) the shape of the supply- 

 ing and discharging apertures, from which it may be concluded 

 that the collar cells counteract, like valves, the discharging 

 of water through the supplying apertures, and (2) the shape 

 of the discharging channels, which may serve as suction 

 channels. — Prof, van Bemmelen made a communication on 

 the absorptive power of colloidal silicic acid. — Prof. H. A. 

 Lorentz on optical phenomena, depending on the electrical 

 charge and the mass of the ions. Part I. Measurements on 



the Zeeman effect give the value of — , / being the charge and 



m the mass of the ions. The author remarks that some other 



p. 

 phenomena depend on the quantity — ; in particular he 



discusses the dispersion and the absorption coefficient of 

 gaseous media. — Prof Korteweg presented a communication by 

 Mr. W. A. Wijthoff. entitled " A system of operations in the 

 space of four dimensions analogous with Hamilton's quaternions. " 

 The geometrical operations described in it are represented by 

 biquaternions, which prove to be identical with those of Clifford 

 for the elliptical space. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, May 12. 



/Royal Society, at 4.30. — A Study of the Phyto-Plankton of the 



Atlantic: G. Murray, F.R.S., and V. H. Blackman.— The Electrical 



Response of Nerve to a Single Stimulus investigated with the Capillary 



Electrometer. Preliminary Communication: Prof. Gotch, F.R.S., and 



' G. J. Burch. — Effects of Prolonged Heating on the Magnetic Properties 



of Iron: S. R. Roget — On the Connection of Algebraic Functions with 



Automorphic Functions : E. T. Whittaker. 



"^Royal Institution, at 3. — Heat: Lord Rayleigh. 



i^MvTHEMATlCAL SOCIETY, at 8. — On the Numerical value 



»'/: 



e" dx : 



H. G. Dawson. — On the Reflection and Transmission of Electric Waves 

 by a Metallic Grating: Prof. Lamb, F.R.S. — Notes on some Funda- 

 mental Properties of Manifolds : A. E. H. Love, F.R S. 

 llNSTiTUTiON OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS (Society of Arts), at 8.— The 

 Registration of Small Currents used for Electric Lighting and other 

 Purposes : A. H. Gibbings.^A Magnetic Balance for Workshop Te^t of 

 a>erraeability : Prof. J. A. Ewing, F.R.S. 



FRIDAY, May 13. 

 "Royal Institution, at 9. — Recent Experiments on certain of the 



Chemical Elements in Relation to Heat : Prof. W. A. Tilden, F.R.S. 

 Royal Astronomical Society, at 8.— Micrometrical Measures of the 

 Double S'ars /3 883, Sirius, and Procyon : T. J. J. See — The Relative 

 Motion of the Components of y Leonis : S. W. Burnham. — Vanadium in 

 the Spectrum (C to D) of Sun-spots : Rev. A. L. Cortie.— Notes on the 

 Zodiacal Light : Wm. Anderson. 

 Physic\l Society, at 5.— Galvanometers, Part II.: Prof. W. E. Ayrton 

 and T. Mather. 

 .. j^lALACOLOGiCAL SOCIETY, at 8. — Note on a verv large Specimen of 

 jflippopus Hippopiis : Edgar A. Smith. — Dascription of New, or Imper- 

 ;fectly-known Species of Nautilus from the Inferior Oolite, contained in 

 .rthe British Museum (Natural History): G. C. Crick.— On the Anatomy 

 ai Adeorbis subcarinatus (Montagu) : Martin F. Woodward. — Phylogeny 

 ,,of the Genera of Arionidae : Henry A. Pilsbry. 



SATURDAY, May 14. 

 •Geologists' Association (King's Cross, G.N.R.), at 1.20.— Excursion to 

 Ayot and H itfiald. Directors : J. Hopkinson and A. E. Salter. 

 Essex Fih;ld''lur, at 7. — Notes on the Trees and Shrubs of Epping 

 Forest : F. W. Elliott. 



MONDA V, May 16. 

 ; 'Society of Arts, at 8.— Electric Traction : Prof. Carus Wilson. 

 Victoria Institute, at 4.30.— The Philosophy of Education : Dr. A. T. 

 Schofield. 



TUESPA r, May 17. 

 ^Zoological Society, at 8.30. — On a Small Collection of Mammals ob- 

 tained by Mr. Alfred Sh irpe in Myasaland : Oldfield Thomas. — On a 

 ■Collection of Lepidoptera made in British East Africa by Mr. C. S 

 Betton : Dr. A. G. Batler — On some Earthworms from India : Miss 

 Sophie M. Fedaib. 

 "^OYAL Statistical Society, at 5. — Local Taxation in London: G. 

 Laurence Gomme. 

 Royal Victoria Hall, at 8.30. — Three Months on a Coral Island : Prof 

 Sollas, F.R.S. 



lVF:niVF.Siy4Y, May iS. 

 ■Society of Arts, at 8. — The Evolution of the Cycle: J. K. Starley. 

 .Geological Society, at 8 — The Garnet-actinolite Schists on the Southern 

 Side of the St. Gothard Pass : Prof. T. G. Bonney, F.R S.— On the 

 Metamorphism of a Series of Grits and Shales in Northern Anglesey : 

 Dr. C Callaway. — On a Volcanic Series in the Malvern Hills near the 

 Herefordshire Beacon : H D. Acland. 

 iRoYAL Meteorological Society (Burlington House), at 4.30. — The 

 Frequency of Rainy Days in the British Islands : Robert H. Scott, 

 F.R S. — The Abnormal We.ath>^r of January, 1898 : Frederick J. Brodie. 

 ^loYAL Microscopical Society, at 8. — Exhibition of Aquatic Life. 



NO. 1489, VOL. 58] 



THURSDAY, May 19. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — Heat: Lord Rayleigh. 

 Chemical Society, at 8. — The Action of Formaldehyde on Amines of the 



Naphthalene Series : G. T. Morgan. — On the Constitution of Oleic Acid 



and its Derivatives, Part I.: F. G. Edmed. 



SA TURD A Y, May 21. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — Biology of Spring : J. Arthur Thomson. 

 Geologists' Association (Paddington Station, G.W.R.), at 1.40. — 



Excursion to Penn and Coleshill. Director : W. P. D. Stebbing. 

 Essex Field Club (at Chingford), at 7.— On the Preparation of Marine 



Animals as Transparent Lantern Slides : Dr. H. C. Sorby, F R.S. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books.— The Flora of Perthshire : Dr. F. B. White (Blackwood).— Sub- 

 marine Telegraphs : C. Bright (Lockwood). — The Origin and Growth of 

 the Moral Instinct : A. Sutherland, 2 Vols..(Longmans)— Birds in London : 

 W. H. Hudson (I ongmans). — Experimental Mechanics : G. H. Wyatt 

 (Rivingtons). — La Famille lM<ivropathique : C. Fer6, deux edition (Paris, 

 Alcan). — Missouri Botanical Garden, 9th Annual Report (St. Louis, 

 Missouri). — Garden-Making : L. H. Bailey (Macmillan). — William Stokes 

 (Masters of Medicine Series) : W. Stokes (Unwin).— The Fauna of British 

 India, including Ceylon and Burma. Birds, Vol. iv. : W. T. Blanford 

 (Taylor). 



Pamphlets. — Science and Engineering : C. Bright (Constable). — 

 Technical Education. Application of Funds by Local Authorities (Eyre). 

 — Mines and Quarries. General Report and Statistics for 1897. Part i. 

 District Statistics (Eyre). 



Serials — Strand Magazine, May (Newnes). — Science Progress, April 

 (Scientific Press). — Chambers's Journal, May (Chambers). — Report of 

 the Marlborough College Natural History Society, No. 46 (Marlborough). — 

 Atlantic Monthly, May (Gay). — Quarterly Journal of the Geological 

 Society, May (Longmans). — Observatory, May (Taylor). — Geographical 

 Journal, May (Stanford)— Astrophysical Journal, April (Chicago) — Pro- 

 ceedings of the Royal Physical Society, Session 1896-97 (Edinburgh). — 

 Monthly Weather Review, January (Washington). — Ditto, Annual Sum- 

 mary for 1897 (Washington). — Travaux de la Soci6t6 Impiriale des 

 Naturalistes de St. P^tersbourg. Section de Gtologie et de Min^ralogie, 

 vol. xxvi. livr. 5. — Ditto, Atlas de Vingt Planches in 4° du Vol. xxv. (St. 

 P^tersbourg). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Zoology as a Higher Study. By Prof. E. Ray 



Lankester, F.R.S 25 



\A^eather Prediction 28 



Our Book Shelf:— 



" Maryland Geological Survey " 29 



" Iowa Geological Survey" 29 



Cheetham : " Elementary Chemistry, Practical and 



Theoretical" • 29 



Letters tb the Editor :— 



Nomenclature and Notation in Calorimetry. — ^J. Y. 



Buchanan, F.R.S 30 



Future Rainfall. {With Diagram.) — A. B. M. . 30 

 Prehistoric Egypt. — Prof. W. M. Flinders Petrie ; 



The Reviewer 31 



Photographic Action of Printer's Ink. — W. Trueman 



Tucker; W. J. R 32 



Electrical Impressions on Photographic Plates. — A. S. 



Bates 32 



Bacteria on an Ancient Bronze Implement. — Wm. 



Edward Nicholson 32 



The Royal Society Selected Candidates 32 



The Flow of "Water. {Illustrated.) By Prof. H. S. 



Hele-Shaw .... 34 



Forthcoming Meeting of the British Association . 36 



City Banquet to the Medical Profession 37 



Notes 38 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



The Spectrum of Hydrogen in Nebulae 41 



The Movement of the Earth's Polar Axis i890'0- 



1897-5. {With Diagram.) 42 



Comet Perrine (March 19) 42 



The Northern Durchmuslening 42 



The Astronomical Society of Wales 42 



Sea-Beaches and Sandbanks. {Illustrated.) By 



Vaughan Cornish 42 



The Bacterial Character of Calf-Lymph. By Mrs. 



Percy Frankland . . . . • 44 



University and Educational Intelligence 45 



Societies and Academies 45 



Diary of Societies . 48 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 48 



